Shank stiffener for shoe soles



Sept. 25, i923. 3,468,855

A. T. BALCH SHANK STIFFENER FOR SHOE SOLES Filed Jan. 2, 1923 fred Patented Sept. 25, 1923.

UNi'rao STATES PATENT carica.,

ALFRED T. BALCH, OF BBOCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB TO H. F. CRAWFORD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SHANK STIFFENEB FOR SHOE SOLES.

applicati mea January 2, 192s. semi m. 610,149.

To all whom z't may concern.'

Be it knownvthat I, T. Banen, a citizen of the United State/s, residing at Brockton in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shank Sti'en# ers for Shoe Soles, of which the following 1s a s eciication.

his invention relates to a shank stiiener of spring steel, interposed between the shank portions of the outsole and insole of a shoe, and havin suicient resilience to permit the re uired` exure of said shank portions in walking, and to normall maintain said shank portions at the esired curvature when they are not subjected to iiexing stress. The invention is embodied in a stifener composed of an outer member contacting with the outsole, and adapted to shdably engage a securing member on the insole, and an inner member contacting with the msole, said members being inseparably connected, and adapted to be lndependently iexed, so that the outer member is adapted to conform independently to iiexures of the shank portion of the outer sole, and the inner member constitutes an independently iiexible yielding support for the shank portion of the insole.

0f the accompan ing drawings forming a part of this speci cat1on,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of a por-- tion of a shoehaving a shank stiiener embodying the invention, before the application of the outsole.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1, the outsole being shown by dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the stitlener.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

My im roved stiiiener is adapted for use with a shoe, the insole a of which has a securing member, such as a bifurcated rivet b, inserted in the insole, as shown by Figure 2, the head of the rivet being Hush with the upper surface of the insole,l and the bifurcations of its shank being bent below the lower surface to form ears c, c, which project in opposite directions and are slightly spaced from the under surface of the inner sole, las shown by the Crawford Patent, No. 1,029,278, dated June 11, 1912.

The stiener comprises a resilient outer member 12, which is a thin steel strip, having .1n its forward end a slot 13, adapted to recelve the 'shank of the rivet b, the arrangement being such that the forward end of t e member- 12 is adapted to slide between the ears c and the bottom surface of the insole, as described in the Crawford patent. The opposlte end portion of the member 12 may be provided with an oriee 14, adapted to receive a tack 15, driven into the insole, as shown by Figure 2. v

The member 12 is curved, to conform to the normal curvature of the shank portion I of an outsole d.

The stiener also comprises a resilient inner member 16, which is also a thin strip of steel, and has a more abrupt curvature than the outer member 12, the end portions of the inner member bearing on corresponding portions of the outer member. The inner member 1s spaced between its end portions from the outer member, as shown by Figure 2.

The members 12 and 16 are inseparably connected by connections between their end portions, permitting independent lexure of each member, so that the outer member is adapted to conform independently to flexures of the shank portion of the outsole, and the inner member constitutes an independently flexible yielding support for the shank portion of the insole.

Said connections are referably embodied in headed rivets 17, fixed to one of the members, and passing through the end portions of the other member, ,the last-mentioned member being slotted to permit independent fexure of each member. p

In this instance I show the rivets 17 fixed to the outer member 12, and passing through slots 18 in the inner member, each rivet having a head at one end bearing on one of the members, and an upset end forming another head bearing on the other member.

When the shoe is eXed, as in the act of walking, the outer member is adapted to conform to the lexure, its slotted end sliding in contact with the Securing member b, and its ears c. The inner member 16 may be exed with the outer member, and is independently flexible and adapted to be pressed at its central portiontoward the outer member by the weight of the wearer, the slots 18, and the rvets 17 permitting the described exures of each of said members.

lt will be seen that the inner member 16 constitutes an arch support, which conforms to changes of form of the arch of a human foot, the curvature of the inner member being reduced by an increase of pressure thereon, and restored to normal when the pressure is removed.

It is obvious that one slot 18 may be provided, instead of two.A

I claim:

l. A shank stif'fener comprising a resilient outer member, curved to conform to the normal curvature of the shank portion of an outsole, and provided in its forward end'with a slot, adapted to have a sliding engagement with a securing member {ixed to an insole; and a resilient inner member having a more abrupt curvature than the outer member, and bearing at its end portions on the outer member, said inner member being spaced, between its end portions, from `the outer member, and connections between the end portions of said members permitting independent flexure of each member, so that the messes outer member isadapted to conform independently to flexures of the shank portion of the outsole, and the inner member constitutes an independently flexible yielding support for the shank portion of an insole.

2. A shank stitiener comprising a resilient outer member, curved to conform to thevnormal curvature ot' the shank portion of an outsole, and provided in its forward end with a slot,'adapted to have a sliding engagement with a securing member fixed to an insole; and a resilient inner member having a more abrupt curvature than the outer member, and bearing at its end portions on the outer member, said inner member being spacedbetween its end portions, from the outer member, and headed rivets fixed to one of the members and passing through the end portions of the other member, one of said members being slotted to permit independent lexureof each member, so that 'the outer member is adapted to conform independently to ieXures of the shank portion of the outsole, and the inner member constitutes an independently llexible yielding support for the shank portion of an insole.

In testimony whereof I have aliixed my signature.

ALFRED T. BLCH. 

